PLAY! With Jörg Achim Keller and the hr Big Band
Jörg Achim Keller and the hr-Bigband have close ties. Jörg served as their principal conductor until 2008; since then, he has been a regular guest conductor with the hr-Bigband. Even as a student, he wrote music for Peter Herbolzheimer’s Rhythm Combination & Brass. For decades, he has been composing for nearly all of Europe’s major big bands. He is looking forward to working with the students in the MA Big Band program, who will share the stage with the hr Big Band in this concert format.
Concerts
- Thursday, November 26, 2026, at hr Radio Studio II: Tickets
- Friday, November 27, 2026, at hr Radio Studio II: Tickets
As part of the MA Big Band program at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts (HfMDK), students regularly have the opportunity to learn from the best in the international music scene. In the PLAY! series, the hr Big Band shares the stage with the students, this time under the direction of Jörg Achim Keller. He is a true jack-of-all-trades when it comes to arranging: Not only has he traveled extensively as a conductor—from big bands to orchestras to major pop projects—but as an arranger, he has also achieved so much that it can make one’s head spin. His arrangement of material by free jazz legend Ornette Coleman—which he wrote during his time as principal conductor of the hr Big Band—remains unforgettable. But he has also orchestrated feature films, such as the comedies about the “7 Dwarfs” by and starring Otto Waalkes. We can’t wait to see what he’ll bring to the students!
